Not Because I Wanted To
by riceyriceyricey
Summary: After the chunin exams. She's 16, he's 14. Temari becomes the target of a psycho stalker-AKA Deidara-and is kidnapped. Will her Shika-kun be able to rescue her, or will he be too late? ShikaTema. Rating might change. Dark themes, AU, no lemon or lime.
1. 1: The Exorcist and Shikamaru's Smile

(A/N: Okay, I just want to say that this is when the characters are 16 and 14. This is only the prologue-ish chapter, which is why it's so short. I'd also like to express that I have never seen _The Exorcist_, nor do I have any interest in seeing _The Exorcist_. I just know that it's the kind of movie that Gaara would choose for movie night. I don't own Naruto, but I have gotten two people addicted to it…which is a small Otaku victory…Now, who's next?)

_Not Because I Wanted To_

Temari sat on the old, wobbly swing in her backyard.

Struggling to support her weight, the ancient swing set almost jumped out of the ground with every hard pump of her legs.

The chilly, evening, March air danced across her skin and a tingling breeze blew by, rustling the loose hairs that had fallen from her ponytails and making the hair on her bare arms stand on end.

The sky was a bit clouded, and not a star was in sight. The moon, in crescent form, looked like the wide, toothy grin of the Cheshire cat.

She smiled softly, because thinking of smiling reminded her of the lazy half-smirk of someone extremely close to her.

She continued to swing, his voice echoing musically in her mind.

She wondered if he'd changed since she'd last been to Konoha. Was he still the same lanky, short little lazy-ass since the chunin exams?

More importantly, did he ever think of her?

She thought about him continuously-almost obsessively. He never left her thoughts. Her hearth thumped at just the thought of his hand placed lightly over hers, and she shuddered in horror about what her reaction would be if he actually _did_ touch her hand.

She shook the thought off immediately; he would _never_ do something like that.

But the more she thought of it, the more upset she began to get.

What if he was seeing someone?

What if he forgot about her?

What if-

Temari's heart broke in her chest,

What if…what if he was _dead_?

She shook her head; he wasn't weak enough to die…was he?

"_Temarrrriiiiiii_," Kankaro whined from the house, "Hurry _uuuuuuup, _it's _Fridayyyy_, which means it's _moviiiieeee_ night!"

"Stop complaining," Temari heard her youngest sibling growl from the kitchen, "can't you see that she's in thought? Now help me with the damn popcorn."

She grinned as she heard insane popping noises, followed by Kankaro's screams of terror.

"Can't you two handle yourselves without me for twenty minutes?" she muttered under her breath as she stomped into the house.

Gaara chose the movie that night.

Gaara chose _The Exorcist_.

Temari hid behind a pillow.

Kankaro screamed like a like a little schoolgirl.

"_I'm not Regan."_

"_Well, then let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras."_

"_And I'm the Devil. Now kindly undo these straps."_

"_If you're the Devil, why not make the straps disappear?"_

"_That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karras."_

Needless to say, movie night was far from being a success.

"Next time," Kankaro trembled fearfully, a hitch in his voice, "when _I _get to choose the movie, we're watching _The Fox and the Hound_, got it?"


	2. 2: Black Roses in a Stalker Bouquet

(I'm back *evil laughter*, and chapter 2 is out! Now, it's getting good. If you're asking if I own Naruto, didn't you read the disclaimer in the first chapter?! Of course you didn't, so I'll have to do it again. If I owned Naruto, some pretty messed up shit between Shino and Kiba would be goin' on, okay? And that messed up shit is _clearly_ not goin' on between Shino and Kiba, so therefore, I don't own Naruto. Get it? Got it? Good. Also, I don't think I own the Ugg slippers that Temari seems to worship, so don't sue me.)

_Not Because I Wanted To_

On Saturday morning, Temari woke up obscenely early.

She'd been chased by horrifying nightmares the night before, thanks to Gaara's choice in film.

She'd been having nightmares since she was little, but they'd never involved a certain _someone _until now.

She'd been locked away in a dark room, leather straps tied around her arms and legs. Every time she'd struggle to break free of the bondage, they only grew tighter around her wrists and ankles.

She called out his name.

No answer.

There was the swaggering sound of footsteps in the distance, and she called for him again.

As set of large, calloused hands touched her, but she did no recognize their rough demeanor.

_Were_ they Shikamaru's? No; his hands were rough, sure, but not _aggressive_.

The possibility of the hands belonging to either of her brothers was completely out of the question, because they were _always _gentle with their beloved sister.

The hands touched her more and more, in places that she _swore_ would belong to _one_ man and _one_ man only: Nara Shikamaru.

After that, the horrible things that those unidentified hands did to her were too painful to bear, and Temari bolted up from bed, panting, sweating, and crying harder than she ever had in her life.

Needless to say, she rarely cried…even when she was alone.

She rolled out of bed, and immediately shuffled into her cherished Ugg brand slippers, and pulled a black tee shirt over her head. In white writing, it read _'Keep Watching and I Might Do a Trick'_.

Temari squeezed into a pair of skinny jeans, couldn't breathe, and concluded that they shrunk in the wash.

_Never _trust Kankaro to do the laundry…_ever_.

So instead, she resorted to her favorite pair. They were the most faded, worn, well-loved bellbottom jeans anyone had ever seen.

It was a miracle that they were still actually _jeans _instead of just threads.

Hoping not to wake her brothers, Temari tiptoed towards the stairs, meeting someone halfway.

"Gaara? Aren't you"-

"Up a little too early?" he brother replied, "yes, but if you've forgotten, Temari, I don't sleep."

Gaara handed his sister a bouquet of flowers.

"These," he said, as she looked them over, "Were with the newspaper. I'm assuming that they're for you."

Temari didn't' have much knowledge of flowers, (I mean, she wasn't Ino Yamanaka, was she?) so she skimmed through some of the books in the living room until she found one titled _'Traditional Flower Meanings'_.

The first in the bouquet, were a few yellow chrysanthemums.

She looked under the 'C' section of the guide and found that chrysanthemums of these particular color meant 'a secret admirer'. She groaned; great, another guy who doesn't have the guts to tell her that he liked her…just the kind of guy that she wanted to end up with.

The second was an orchid, which meant delicate beauty.

_Well, that's nice,_ she thought, fondling the single orchid.

The next, was an odd looking passion flower, which the meaning was obvious by its namesake.

She read that it could be used in remedies to heal insomnia.

Maybe for Gaara…

Then, there were about four yellow tulips. _Christ, this person must like yellow,_ she thought.

Yellow tulips meant _hopelessly in love._

The final flower was a black rose.

Temari flipped to the 'R' section, and what she saw made her scream, and drop the rose.

_Death. _

She felt sick to her stomach; a secret admirer was passionately and hopelessly in love with a delicate beauty and wanted to _kill_ her?!

"Whassup?" Kankaro asked groggily, stumbling into the living room.

He stopped dead when he saw his sister, her eye twitching, pointing a shaking finger to a bunch of flowers that lay on the floor in pure, unspeakable horror.

Gaara joined the two and held a hand to his chin,

"I'm guessing that you don't like the flowers."

And so, Temari had a stalker, Kankaro was confused, and Gaara transformed into 'Captain Obvious'.


	3. 3:Letter From a Boy With Only Initails

(And I'm still coming!! Err…yeah…as for the disclaimer, is that messed up shit between Kiba and Shino goin' on? The answer is no, so _clearly,_ I don't own Naruto. You should seriously read the disclaimer, people. By popular demand, the stalker has been chosen. *drumroll* TAADAA! IT'S DEIDARA! My mother read the first chapter…she was disturbed XD I love the reviewers! 3)

_Not Because I Wanted To _

Temari threw the chrysanthemums into the fireplace, watching the yellow flowers burn.

_Secret admirer_, she thought, _you have absolutely _no_ class. I _hate_ yellow. _

She snarled as she chucked the orchid in after,

_Delicate, I'll show _you_ delicate, bastard._

She kept the passion flower.

As much as she hated the thought of holding on to the stalker-flower, it was worth keeping helping her brother.

_Gaara, you'll soon be sleeping soundly again._

The yellow tulips.

She hated the despicable plant, and its meaning.

_Hopelessly in love,_ she snorted, watching the flames envelop the flowers in undeniable satisfaction.

Finally, was the black rose.

Temari fondled the morbid plant in her hand for several moments, before tossing it carelessly into the flame.

"Hey," Kankaro said, sitting next to her and handing her a bowl of macaroni and cheese, "You okay?"

"No," Temari spat, "I'm _not_."

"Oh," Kankaro said, "Um…okay…can I help?"

"No, you can't," she replied, snatching the bowl and eating the meal sourly.

"Well, then," her brother mused, picking up the passion flower and examining it, "Why'd you keep this one?"

"It can cure insomnia-the nectar, I mean," Temari said thoughtfully, "I'm saving if for Gaara."

She stared into the fire sadly, her mind back in Konoha, her heart in a fourteen year old boy's hands, and her body left as an empty shell back in Suna.

Kankaro noticed this, and slipped her an envelope.

"This came in the mail."

Temari looked at it in disgust, before waving her brother off,

"It's probably from the creep. I don't want it."

"I dunno," Kankaro mused again, "The postage stamp says it's from the leaf"- Temari snatched the letter from his hands at once, "…village."

She tore open the envelope viciously, and it seemed to scare the puppet master quite a bit.

"I'm guessing it's a good thing," he mumbled to himself.

Once she'd torn the envelope itself into oblivion, she read the letter over and over, tracing the rough, sketchy handwriting with her finger, feeling the indentations that his pen had made; it was the only way of knowing that it was real.

_Um…Hi._

_Wow, this sure is awkward._

_Anyways, I think this is the address to the chick that I fought during the Chunin exams. If it's not, would you mind burning this letter for me? Only she can read this; I mean it's addressed to _her_ isn't it?_

_If you _are_ the chick that I fought during the Chunin exams, then I'm glad that I found you. I've been looking for your address for two freakin' years, you know that? I…I don't even know why I did it. _

_Gah, this is so troublesome. Anyways, I was writing you this nerdy letter to ask if I could meet you again_

_-not like a date or anything, but just…but just a _meeting_. I uh…I just want to see you, okay? Don't ask me why, I just-…I just do. _

_So if I found you, that's great, because I'll be moping around in my house, waiting for you to answer. _

_~S.N. _

She smiled; of course, he was smart enough to put in only his initials, in case the message was intercepted.

Smart kid.

Temari gently traced his signature with her index fingers, joy swelling in her heart.

Kankaro craned his neck over his sister's shoulder, but she smacked him in the head, and carefully held the letter to her chest as if it were a precious china doll.

Gaara had picked up the passion flower, twirling it in his fingers. He smelled in the sweet scent, and yawned.

He stumbled over to the couch, and fell asleep, the flower still resting peacefully in his pale hand.


	4. 4: She Didn't Answer My Letter

(Hello, my loyal readers! (you know, if you haven't given up on me yet) I'm back with chapter 4! Disclaimer: Have you seen the Kiba/Shino messed up shit yet?...exactly. Now _this _chapter is where it gets _really_ good. I totally made up Shika's street address. Read and find out what I mean. I'm pretty proud of myself for cranking out three chapters in one day.)

_Not Because I Wanted To _

At one in the morning, Sabaku No Temari tapped her pen to her teeth, looking down at the parchment.

_Dear Shikamaru _

Oh, where was she to start? There were numerous things that she wanted to say to the shadow nin, but she had no idea how to put it into words. She settled with a simple:

_Yes, this is Temari, and I got your letter. I would find it extremely nice to see you once more._

Was that too formal? She quickly added,

_So I can whip your lazy ass like cream again. _

Temari's heart sank in her chest; what if she offended him?

She'd never offend him. He was her crush, her interest, and she only prayed that he felt the same way.

_Ha, Ha, just kidding. I'd like to talk and learn some more about you. _

She nodded and grinned; yes, that sounded right.

_I'd also love to see more of that amazing shadow technique you used on me in the exams. Do you know any more? I heard from a reliable source (your mother) that you take a great interest in playing shogi. I don't mean to brag, but in _my_ village, I'm known as 'the shogi bandit'. Isn't that just something? I guess that means I'm pretty good. I hope you're prepared. _

Temari nodded; yes, she was starting to sound very much like herself in this letter. She added a few more teases and witty remarks, she ended the letter with

_Yours truly,_

And scrawled her signature before folding the letter and slipping it into an envelope carefully.

Temari pulled on her jacket and shoes before tiptoeing to the mailbox on her front stoop.

She snuck past Kankaro's room, his door slammed shut.

Gaara's room was open, and the fourteen year old lay sprawled out across the bed. Temari slid through the half-open door, and placed a loving kiss on her brother's forehead.

She smiled when she noticed a worn, old teddy bear tucked carefully under his arm.

She hadn't seen the kid so peaceful in ages

Temari left Gaara's room quietly; the passion flower had worked, and the sand nin had eight years of sleep to catch up on.

She opened the door almost silently and slid outside into the night.

A gust of wind blew by furiously; ruffling Temari's loose fitting pajamas and sending an involuntary chill up her spine.

She was about to drop the letter into the mailbox when someone slapped a hand over her mouth.

The letter fell from her hands, and Temari attempted to bite the intruding appendage, but to her horror, something long and slimy slid across her lips.

She squirmed and writhed, as an arm reached out of the darkness and locked itself around her waist.

"Don' struggle, un," grunted a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere, "It'll jus' make this a hell of a lot harder."

And with that, Temari was carted into the darkness.

…

Gaara rolled out of bed, feeling more relaxed than he'd been in a very long time.

"Temari?" he called, yawning and ruffling his hair.

Where was it?

The familiar smell of Sunday breakfast, where was it?

Where were the scrambled eggs?

Where was the syrup and French toast?

Where was his sister; wearing an apron and humming a jaunty tune as she poured orange juice into three glasses?

He wasn't relaxed anymore.

Gaara rushed frantically into Kankaro's room, being greeted by the putrid odor of mold as he entered.

He scrunched up his nose in obvious disgust, and nearly killed himself trying to make his way through the dangerous terrain of his brother's bedroom floor.

Gaara shook Kankaro frantically, hoping to wake the snoring teenager.

"Kankaro, you slug, wake up!"

The puppeteer peeked groggily through one eye, and then rolled onto his side.

"It's too early, Gaara."

The younger of the two kicked the frame of the bed, causing the mattress to shake and disturbing Kankaro from his slumber yet again.

"Temari's missing!"

_This _woke Kankaro quite a bit.

"What?" he screeched, bolting out of bed and accidentally smacking Gaara with a frantic, flailing arm.

"Ah!" Gaara shouted, rubbing his head, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Kankaro didn't reply, but instead, ran around the house, his filthy socks sliding across the smooth, wood floor, treating to catch him off balance at any second.

"Temari? Tema-chan? Tema-hime?"

"Calling her by multiple names isn't going to coax her out of hiding, if that's what you're thinking," Gaara mumbled, his head still sore.

His brother dashed outside, hoping Temari would be there, but stopped dead in his tracks: _the letter._

Kankaro picked it up, fondling it carefully.

_Mr. Shikamaru Nara _

_33 Green Leaf Pass_

_Konoha_

…

A young boy buried his face in his hands, not even daring to look at his meal.

"Honey, eat," his mother ordered, pushing the plate a little closer to her son.

"No," the boy muttered, turning his face and shooting Yoshino a pathetic look.

Wooden spoon in hand, she turned to her husband,

"Shikaku, talk some damn sense into this boy and get him to eat."

The man shrugged,

"Can't do that, dear. If the kid doesn't want to eat, he won't eat. He got that stubbornness from you, woman."

Scowling, Yoshino plopped down at the kitchen table and rested her chin on her fist.

"If you won't eat, Shikamaru," she said, "At least tell me what's bothering you."

"The girl," the boy said quietly, "She didn't answer my letter."


	5. 5: Shikakun Takes a Personal Day

(A/N: I'm taking a sick day. How pathetic. I've been nauseous, and yet I don't have the will to throw up. Oh well, at least it's Monday XD

ANYWHO, this is chapter 5 for y'all. It's technically supposed to revolve around Shikamaru because Konoha's laziest (and _sexiest_ 0////0) deer needs a little attention, no? If I owned Naruto…well…some pretty bad things would happen. I'm petting my puppy's tummy right now :) tee hee! Never watch too many soap operas when you're sick and delirious, or you'll have an Ino moment. Read on to find out! To spice up the game just a little bit, I've peppered in a little one sided InoCho and maybe a pinch of humor. I think this is the longest chapter I've done yet. The character and couple names gave my spell-check in Microsoft word a heart attack. I watched "Wife Swap" with my mother for _two hours_. It was hell…on a stick.)

_Not Because I Wanted To_

It was as if he'd lost the will to live. In a way, he did. Shikamaru Nara was never a drama-king, oh no, but today, his life seemed to be spiraling downward through a never-ending black hole full of nothingness…and Ino.

"Honestly, Shika-kun, you need to roll out of bed! I don't care if you ooze out or anything, just get the hell up! We have a _mission_, and Sensei won't let you hear the end of it if you don't come."

Shikamaru yawned,

"Go on without me," he groaned, waving his hand at her, "Just leave me here to die."

Ino Yamanaka rolled her eyes, and pulled the covers away, revealing her teammate's tired, miserable face.

His eyelids drooped, and were surrounded by dark circles. His cheeks were sunken, and practically hollow.

She poked his forehead, and shot him a look that reminded him so much of the Suna girl.

Immediately, he rolled over and covered his head with the blankets.

Ino pouted,

"There's got to be _some_ reason why you're acting like a sloth today, Shikamaru, and don't you _dare_ blame it on laziness."

"I'm nauseous," the shadow nin moaned in reply, "my stomach is uneasy and the slightest abrupt bump or shift in my position could cause me to throw up. I just think it would be too troublesome to have a sick ninja on a mission."

"Whatever," Ino muttered, sitting on the foot of his bed, "at least tell me what's wrong."

"You sound like my mother," he growled, "so why don't you _join_ her _outside_ of my room."

With a scoff, Ino picked herself up, and headed to the door.

"Would if Choji was here? Would you open up to _him_?"

"Probably."

As the Yamanaka daughter exited, the Akimichi son entered.

"Hey," Choji said from behind a bag of potato chips, "What's up?"

"I'm dying," Shikamaru replied with a groan.

"Oh," his friend said softly, "I see."

He offered the deer his bag of chips,

"Will these help?"

Shikamaru was touched by the gesture; Choji _never _gave his chips up to _anyone_.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he replied, "I don't think snacking is going to heal this broken heart of mine."

Almost as soon as the words slipped past his lips, Shikamaru wished that he could eat them.

He could hear Ino shriek and giggle behind the door.

Choji smiled,

"Well, doctor, we have a diagnosis."

Ino barged through the door screaming. Shikamaru was unsure whether she was angry of delighted.

"I caught you," she squealed, jabbing a finger at him "Shikamaru Nara, _the _Shikamaru Nara has fallen in love!"

She was delighted.

The Nara heir rolled his eyes and hid his face in his pillow.

"Who is it?" Ino demanded hyperactively, "do I know her? Is it Sakura, Hinata, TenTen?"

Shikamaru shook his head, and Ino's face fell.

"Oh. My. God." She breathed, "You're _gay_? I never would've"-

"What?! I'm not gay!" he shouted, springing up in bed, "It's the girl I fought during the chunin exams!"

Ino gaped at him,

"You mean the roughhousing chick who kicked your ass?"

He pulled the blanket up to his forehead to hide the blush that was painting itself across his cheeks without permission.

Ino and Choji saw Shikamaru's ponytail bob up and down in a nod.

Ino automatically began grilling her best friend,

"So, was it love at fist sight? Did you _let_ her beat you? Did you get her number, address, anything? Do you even know her _name_?"

Shikamaru muttered something about 'troublesome' before submitting to Ino's request and letting her tear the covers from his face.

"If it wasn't love at first sight," he began, "It was the closest thing to it."

"See? I_ told _you," Ino cut in, turning to Choji, "His eyes were _totally _undressing her when they met."

"I never said she wasn't _undressing _her," Choji said calmly, holding up a hand, "I just said that he'd have too much dignity to _fall _for her."

Ino pouted, crossing her arms,

"You still owe me lunch."

Without complaining, Shikamaru explained himself,

"She's the most beautiful girl in the world."

Ino looked like she'd just been slapped.

"I…I can't believe it," she gaped, "You…you just called someone prettier than _me_!"

Choji smiled,

"He's totally love drunk."

"Completely hammered," Ino agreed.

"Anyways," the Nara continued, "Yes, I let her beat me. It was the _noble _thing to do, letting the woman beat the man. It's obviously common courtesy."

At making such a sexist remark, Ino glared at him,

"That's bull. Girls are just as useful as boys are…" she added, "Unless we're talking about Sakura."

Ignoring the look of death that he was receiving, Shikamaru answered the rest of Ino's questions,

"I've been looking for her address for years," he said.

Ino sniggered,

"Creeper."

Choji nodded,

"Agreed."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes,

"Her name's Sabaku No Temari. She's Sunese, got it? I sent her a letter asking if I could meet her casually, and she never replied."

Ino nodded,

"So _that's _why you're depressed." She put on a girly, melodramatic set of fake tears. "Oh, poor Shika-chan has been rejected! Poor, innocent, alone Shika-chan!"

Choji said nothing as Ino dragged out a full, ten-minute, soap opera monologue.

"Our hero vowed to never fall in love, and here he is, curled up in bed and crying his little eyes out! Boo-Hoo! What woman was cruel enough to make this poor boy sob, you ask?"

"I'M NOT CRYING!"

"It was none other than the beautiful Sunese stripper Sabaku No Temari!"

"_YOU'RE _THE STRIPPER!"

Ino shot Shikamaru a look, and teasingly fondled the hem of her short skirt,

"Why thank you, Mr. Nara. May I please you by dancing on your dresser?"

"NO YOU MAY NOT!"

"Whatever you say," she winked, "_master_."

In a low baritone voice, Choji announced,

"Will Shikamaru ever win the woman of his dreams? Will he commit suicide? When the hell did Ino become a stripper? These questions and more may or may not be answered next Tuesday on the epic season finale of _All My Kunai_."

Ino cackled gleefully, and Choji couldn't help but chuckle as well.

She was so beautiful when she laughed, and he couldn't stop the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

Shikamaru was trying desperately not to be amused, but his lips slid into a lazy half-smile.


	6. 6: The Terrible Truth

(I don't feel like crap anymore, but I'm still sick, and I'm still rubbing my puppy's tummy. I think she's starting to get annoyed. :) I want to thank all of the awesome reviewers! I'm dancing on the couch while listening to death metal. I think I've scared my dog enough for today *calms down*.)

_Not Because I Wanted To_

"Drive, fool!" Gaara ordered.

Kankaro clutched the steering wheel as the terrain changed from desolate and sandy to green and full of life.

He took a sharp turn left and bulleted up a winding hill.

"Turn left! _Left_, you imbecile!"

…

Gaara and Kankaro _eventually _reached Konoha in one piece found the Nara home.

Kankaro furiously slammed the car shut and rapped on the door. Gaara on the other hand, was completely restrained. He held the letter in between his fingers and rolled his eyes as his brother barged into the house.

"Where's the kid?" he asked calmly as Kankaro seethed with anger, glaring at a house plant like it had just stabbed him in the back and taken his money.

Yoshino drew back, prepared to hit someone with her frying pan.

"I come in peace," Gaara continued, flashing the 'live long and prosper' hand symbol for an added effect, "but my brother comes with the intention of killing your plant."

Kankaro's head snapped up, and he grinned sheepishly at the woman.

"We're not gonna hurt anyone," he said in embarrassment, "we just want to talk to Shikamaru."

He checked the name on the front of the letter to make sure he got it right.

"We've got Shikamaru!" Ino cheered, dragging the boy down the stairs by his collar, Choji following shyly.

"Pleased to meet you, Nara-kun," Gaara said quietly. He nodded to Yoshino, "Nara-san. I'm Gaara, and this is my oaf of a brother Kankaro. Sabaku No Temari is our sister."

Shikamaru looked at his feet.

"Bitch never answered my letter," he muttered.

Kankaro shoved the letter at him,

"Bitch was kidnapped while she was mailing your letter."

If there was a single day that Shikamaru wished that he was never born, this was it.

The world collapsed around him, lying at his feet and sending him plummeting back into that black hole.

Ino let out a startled gasp and covered her mouth, and Choji dropped his chips.

Kankaro offered Shikamaru the letter once more,

"We assume that she was about to drop this in the mailbox when she was taken. Gaara and I thought that you might want to have it."

With shaking hand, Shikamaru reached for the letter and ripped the envelope open.

He read it with a sober look on his face, his eyes blank and lifeless.

Usually, Ino would've relished the opportunity at new gossip and craned her neck over his shoulder, but then she saw something.

His eyes.

There was something in them that she'd never seen before: sorrow.

It broke her heart as Shikamaru held the letter up to his face to hide the tears that were rimming his eyes and flowing down his cheeks.

Clutching the letter, he ran from the house.

"Shikamaru!" Ino called, but it was too late; he was already gone.

Gaara sighed, as if he'd been expecting the boy to bolt out the door at the news of Temari's abduction.

Kankaro looked confused, as always, a stupid grin plastered on his face as he asked,

"What was _that_ all about?"

Ino rolled her eyes, turning to Choji,

"Did you hear that?" she groaned, "God, he's stupider than Naruto."

Choji nodded, and Kankaro looked around the house,

"What?"

Yoshino, who'd been in the corner, stepped into the light, her eyes red from crying for her son,

"I think," she began, "Only Ino and Choji would know for sure, but I'm _assuming_ that my son is in love with your sister." She turned to look at the Yamanaka and the Akimichi, "Am I correct?"

Ino was shockingly at a loss for words, and could only nod.

"Yes," Choji agreed, "It was true love at first sight. I've never seen anything more astonishing than the look on his face when he first set eyes on her. It was complete and utter admiration."

Ino nodded again,

"Yeah," she breathed, jabbing a finger at Choji, "What he said."


	7. 7: Running, Byakugan, and the Authoress

(My mom asked me why I was writing about such mature things when I brought up Ino's stripper moment. I just laughed and imagined her reacting if she ever read a lemon. XD I admit, ha, ha, that lemon isn't the _worst _thing in the world, but it doesn't mean that I'm gonna write it. My mother can be so much like Yoshino sometimes. :) But I still love you, mommy! 3 I was wondering why my chapters were so short, and it's because someone once told me that sometimes, the story itself could be good, but if the chapters are too long, readers might get bored and abandon the fic. I hope you aren't getting bored! I'd like to do a shout out to our newest NaruTard Allison! This is our couple, girl! I hope this helped you learn his name! Unfortunately, they're too young to do the proposal with the box of rocks!

Since this is a Naruto fic, I decided to add our favorite little kitsune to the plot. We also have a special guest closer to the end of the chapter…*drumroll* ME! Yeah, the authoress is sick and delirious, okay? Don't blame me for wanting a little bit of the angst. I'm adding the smallest bit of SasuSaku and NaruHina, so to the NaruSaku fans: You suck. I'm KIDDING! I respect your opinion, alright, and I don't want prissy comments bitching about how much "better" NaruSaku is. It's SUBTLE, so keep reading! )

_Not Because I Wanted To_

He kept running.

He didn't know where he was going.

It didn't matter.

Shikamaru doubled over to catch his breath in front of Ichiraku's ramen shop.

It was there that he let himself cry.

He fell to his knees, burying his face and not caring it he was making a scene. His body shook violently and although the sun shined upon him, all he saw was rain.

"Shikamaru?" asked a familiar voice, "Why're you crying, 'ttebayo?

Naruto.

The blonde ninja kneeled down next to him, acting surprisingly nice.

"Why're crying?" he repeated, "Are you emo?"

The niceness dissolved.

"N-Na-Naruto-kun," squeaked someone behind him, "I-I thin Shi-Shikamaru-kun is d-depressed."

A soft hand was placed on the Nara's back in a comforting gesture.

"Wow, Hinata-chan," Naruto gushed, "Could you see that with you weird Hyuuga eye thing? Can you read minds? Can you tell if Sakura-chan likes me or not?"

"Naruto," moaned an annoyed female voice, "Hinata's Byakugan _can't _read minds, and for the _last time_, I _don't _like you. I'm dating Sasuke."

Sasuke shot her a look as if to ask '_when did I agree to this?'_, and grunted.

Shikamaru raised his head and Sakura regognized the symptoms of it at once,

"Don't you see it guys? He's hopelessly in love!"

"How'd you know that?" Naruto asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes,

"Because it's the way you stare at me, Hinata stares at you"- a bashful squeak on Hinata's part-"and the way I stare at Sasuke!"

At that moment, Sasuke ran for the hills out of fear of being raped…but then again, the authoress thought devilishly, smirking, it's always better to rape the willing.

The demonic grin spread further on the authoress' face, and she considered adding a little bit of SasuSaku to the story to piss the NaruSaku fans off.

Shikamaru punched the ground,

"Dammit."

His growl of a tone frightened Hinata a little, and she jumped.

Naruto wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hoping that she'd find it as a comforting gesture, and the authoress stuck her tongue out at the NaruSaku fans hiding in the corner and flashed a sign that said 'NARUHINA PWNS!'.

Sakura gently touched Shikamaru's shoulder, and smiled sincerely,

"What's her name?"

He bit his lip,

"Temari."

The authoress, after being sick on the couch (Sympathize!) and having made a brief appearance in the story apologized to her readers for showing up and completely massacring the chapter and promised to just do the writing.

She was sure that she could hear people cheering in the distance. Before signing off, she gave her loyal readers a single hint at the next chapter.

Team…Gai.


End file.
